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FAQ: Domain renewal policy change

As of October 1, 2009, Microsoft Office Live Small Business will no longer offer free domain name renewals. To learn how this can affect your Office Live Small Business Web site and e-mail, or to learn how to renew your domain, please review the following frequently asked questions:
Why am I being contacted?
From the launch of our service in 2006 until mid-February 2008, during the signup process we offered a free custom domain name with the Office Live Small Business service.  We’ve made a policy change and will start charging customers who signed up between the above dates the annual domain name renewal fee.
Why is Office Live changing its policy on custom domains?
We’ve made the decision to begin charging all customers for custom domains to standardize our pricing and bring it in line with our competitors. The domain renewal fee you are being asked to pay is the same price that all other customers are currently paying.  We feel that this price is very competitive in the marketplace, especially given that Office Live Small Business will continue to provide several other free services.
How much will it cost to renew custom domains?
An annual domain renewal fee of $14.95 per year will be due at the time of the domain renewal date.  The annual renewal fee is the same price as all other customers are currently paying.  This pricing compares very favorably in the marketplace.
Can I renew my domain now?
Not at this time. You can renew your domain 45 days in advance of its expiration date. You will get an e-mail notice approximately 45 days in advance of your renewal date.
What is included with the custom domains offer?
  • FREE Private Domain Registration.  This domain registration includes the private registration of your domain name to help prevent your personal contact information from being exposed in the ICANN  public database of registered domain names, thereby helping minimize the amount of unsolicited sales calls and e-mail SPAM
  • FREE personalized e-mail accounts with 5GB of storage per account


Additionally, as an Office Live Small Business customer you also receive:

  • FREE Web site hosting (500MB of disk space)
  • FREE Web site design tool
  • FREE e-mail support


For more information about our offers see our Pricing Chart.

Where can I find my expiration date?
Your domain expiration date will be provided in an e-mail to you. Also, you will be able to see your expiration date on your Domain Manager page in the next week or so. You will be able to view it by clicking on the Properties link in the Options column on your Domain Manager page.
What if my domain name expires prior to October 1, 2009?
If your domain name expires prior to October 1, 2009, you will not need to pay for it until it expires again in 2010. For example, if your domain name expires on August 29, 2009, you will have until August 29, 2010, to pay for it.
What if I'm already paying for private domain registration?
After renewing your domain you will no longer be charged separately for private domain registration.  Private domain registration is now included in the price of all custom domains offers.
What action should I take to ensure I don't lose my custom domain?
45 days before your domain expiration date you will receive a series of e-mail reminders that contain your expiration date and detailed instructions about how to renew your custom domain.  If you do not plan to check your email regularly, you can find your domain expiration date and get instructions about how to renew your custom domain before it expires by signing in to your account after August 12th and clicking Manage domains.
How can I tell if my account is affected?
If you are affected you should have received a policy change notification e-mail message in early August 2009.  If you did not receive this message you can also sign in to the Office Live Small Business service after August 12th and click Manage domains. If you are affected, a message concerning the policy change and your domain expiration date will be prominently displayed.
Can I purchase my domain for multiple years?
You cannot renew for more than one year at a time unless you are a customer in the United Kingdom on a .co.uk domain in which case you can renew for a two year time period. Once you have renewed your domain, your domain will auto-renew at the end of your registration period or until you cancel your domain.
How can I be sure that I've received a genuine renewal notice from Microsoft?
You can ensure that you have received a genuine renewal notice from Microsoft by signing into the Office Live Small Business service after August 12th and clicking Manage domains.  There will be a prominent message on the manage domains page which will confirm that your custom domain is expiring and that payment needs to be made to keep your domain from expiring.
What happens if I choose not to pay the annual renewal fee?

• Your Web site will remain active.  However the domain name will be disconnected from your Web site and e-mail addresses.  Your Web site will remain active with a Web site address of such as http://youroldcustomdomainname.web.officelive.com.

• The administration of your domain name will be transferred to Melbourne IT, who is the domain registrar for Office Live Small Business.  You can find answers to your questions at the Melbourne IT Help page.  If you don’t renew your domain name before your expiration date it will become publicly available for sale.

All e-mail accounts on the expired domain name will be automatically removed and e-mail messages will not be saved. If you do not wish to renew your custom domain, Read Take your data with you to learn how to back up your e-mail information.
Can I still have a free Web site without renewing my custom domain?
Yes. You always have the option of keeping your Web site active with Office Live Small Business on a free Web address such as http://youroldcustomdomainname.web.officelive.com if you don’t feel the value of the custom domain justifies the cost.
How can I move my domain name to a different provider?
Find the answer to this question and others by reading Cancel a custom domain name.
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